[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]Edge of the Blue- Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Bismarck[/center]
[center]Lvl 6 (61/60) -> Lvl 6 (64/60) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 1,290 words[/center]
[center][@DracoLunaris][/center]

Geralt let a small frown cross his features when Bowser declared that Peach would cover the cost of the damages, but he figured the two royals could hash that out amongst themselves when it came down to it. Blazermate's offer was much more reasonable, frankly, though that was largely because [i]she'd[/i] be the one paying it out, unlike Bowser's "offer". The robot girl also took a moment to tease the Koopa King, which Geralt inwardly smirked at, but didn't respond to for fear of worsening the situation at hand. 

Thankfully, Link also stepped forward and explained what had [i]actually[/i] happened, which was information Geralt was sorely lacking. He'd done his best to skirt around whether they were actually in the right by vouching for their character and leveraging what they knew, but if they believed Link (he did) as to the cause of the fight, they'd hopefully have better chances of convincing the Admiral of their intentions. And the boy legend was right in calling it a tragedy, because if the unfamiliar spirits in the Bismarck meant anything, their were more casualties to this fight than the original aggressor. 

Altogether, their pleas and explanations, Bowser's and Frog's offer to pay as well as the latter calling on his reputation, and Peach's own additions, bought them the reprieve they needed. Merylwyb ordered her men to stand down, and even the previously-irate proprietor of the Bismarck was willing to accept the loss of his beloved restaurant if it meant that the war could be won. Then, Peach said something that struck him. "[i]Because[/i] I don't have to." It was that selfless, heroic attitude again. Now, Geralt had turned down plenty of coin from starving peasants in his time, but it...felt different. This wasn't letting somebody keep a few crowns that would still probably barely allow them to eat well for the next few weeks, this was willingly sacrificing a [i]massive[/i] sum of money to fix up what was almost certainly a luxury to these people. Of course it was how some people made a living, but a fancy restaurant was different than the town's only skilled butcher or blacksmith. There were other places to eat, and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the owner and employees could find work elsewhere. 

And despite all that, Peach was still giving them what they needed to rebuild. Whether it was out of a sense of guilt, or selflessness, or some calculated move to make them look good to these people, she was doing it. The witcher wasn't sure he'd have done the same in her position. 

Pushing the thought away and focusing on what they had to do next, Geralt nodded as Merylwyb made their move for them: reconvene at a not-destroyed restaurant, eat, drink, plan their attack. He stuck with Kamek and Bowser, the former asking Peach about heading to the Atomos and helping their new allies. Geralt thought over the plan for a moment before nodding. "If anybody can get those two through the city, it'd be Princess Peach and Sakura." He agreed. "It might not be simple to explain exactly how we got them to stop killing each other long enough to make nice, though, given the red-eye business." Geralt wasn't looking forward to that conversation, no sir. 

The news about Linkle, on the other hand, made him scowl. "She what?!" He seethed, fists clenching for a moment. He barked out a hoarse, sardonic 'laugh', shaking his head. "Figures if it ain't one it's the other..." 

Still, what Bowser said gave him pause. "Wishes, curses, idiot heroics...thankfully, I'm an expert at all three." He sighed a little, plenty of memories rushing through his mind. "I've broken enough curses in my time to know there's no such thing as an 'unbreakable' curse. Maybe nobody's figured it out, maybe nobody's been dumb enough to try it, but every curse has its counter. I'd need to think on it, talk more to this Striker of yours. All else fails, we find something that grants wishes and that isn't cursed, and just use that." He paused for a moment. "That's how I, uh...met my wife, kind of. Djinni bound our souls. She caught another one. Broke the bond, and we were still in love, so..."

Coughing into his hand and going back to the topic, he sighed. "Not too keen on trying to find a [i]third[/i] Djinni, though, so we might have to get creative." It was good that they were at least somewhat optimistic about their chances. It never paid to give up before you got started, after all. 

With the most important topics seemingly covered, Geralt decided it was time to go talk to Merylwyb. "Alright, Kamek, I think it's about time we started this war summit." Gesturing to the table the Admiral was sat at, he made his way over. 

"Admiral," He started, "I'll try to cover as much as I can, as quickly as I can. Spirits, are, to put it simply, the corpses of the dead, concentrated into a form that the living can use to their benefit. And there are a few ways you can make use of them. The simplest is to just crush the Spirit, and it'll turn into some object you can use. I've mostly turned the Spirits I've come across into items this way. This," He said, pointing to the weapon currently strapped to his shoulder, "Is one of them. Speaking of which..." Geralt frowned, trying to point it away from those at the table. 

"Anyway, the next way to make use of them is to turn them into a Striker. It's not quite as simple as crushing them is. You have to, one way or another, convince them to work with you, to give you their power. Many of us have at least one at our disposal." Looking back at the rest of his group, he thought over the different Strikers he'd seen them use. He knew Kamek used one of the long-ranged fighters they fought when they recruited Link, and Bowser had that girl who was apparently intimately familiar with Linkle's situation. If his eyes didn't deceive him, Link had actually made one of the copies of that sorceress into a Striker, as ill-advised as Geralt thought that was. 

"Now, if you look at Bowser, the big guy, over there," He pointed in the Koopa's general direction, "You'll see the result of fusing with a Spirit. There's two main ways to do it, and I'm fairly certain the big guy mainly uses his heart. By absorbing a Spirit into your heart, you'll gain some of its power, at the cost of some of its weaknesses. What those are obviously depends on the Spirit. And taking it into your head, you'll gain some of its strengths, at the same cost. The difference is that absorbing through the heart will typically change your body and its physical capabilities, while absorbing it through the mind will grant you its knowledge. Sometimes the results are rather interesting. My own experience was...off-putting, to say the least. I've been reluctant to do it again." 

Geralt sighed, rubbing his head. "And that's what you ought to know about Spirits and how they work. As for the Abyssal Fleet...I'm still not sure [i]how[/i] they use the Spirits they bring back, but I have a few theories, ranging from mechanical to magical in nature. Unfortunately, resurrection is exceedingly rare where I'm from, practically unheard of. To do it on such a scale as to keep an army running perpetually was unthinkable."

Well, that was a lot of info to dump on somebody. Hopefully Kamek would be more willing to answer any questions the Admiral had.